Pack your swimmers, The Philippines is calling.
Cebu
Sumilon Island
Bohol
The best way to get from Cebu to Bohol is to take a two-hour fast ferry. You can tour the island alone but for first-time visitors it’s worth arranging a tour guide. Grace and Cecil from Baron Travel are locals from Cebu and Bohol and can give you an insider’s perspective on the best places to visit. To hire a driver and tour guide for a two-day tour in Bohol will cost between $70 – $220 depending on the number of people in your group and the location of your accommodation. For a relaxed, beachside escape Bohol Beach Club is the perfect option guaranteed to present plenty of “Instagrammable” sunsets and cocktails by the pool with palm trees in the background’ shots.
Bohol Island is filled with stunning coastline, hidden waterfalls and has a fun adventure park. Go zip-lining ($10), root climbing ($12), river kayaking ($8) and more at Danao Adventure Park for a fraction of the price you’d pay in Australia. Be sure to check out the famed Chocolate Hills, a unique geological formation consisting of hundreds of cone-shaped hills. They are spread over 50 square kilometers and vary in size from 30 to 120 meters in height. People from all over the world come to see these unique formations. Nearby is a quad bike track where you can go on a fun and bumpy ride with views of the hills.
A must-visit attraction in Bohol is the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary. A Tarsier is quite possibly one of the strangest animals you’ll encounter. It’s said to be the inspiration behind fictional characters including Yoda and the gremlins. They’ve got massive eyes, frog-like fingers and are ridiculously cute. They’re also endangered but here you can see them in their natural habitat.
If you’re looking for a great place for lunch or dinner the Bohol Bee Farm has incredible fresh organic food.
Getting There
Cebu Pacific fly direct from both Sydney and Melbourne to Manilla a few times a week. Being a budget airline don’t expect the mod-cons but their whole philosophy is for travelers to save on the flight so they can spend more at the destination. Pack your own snacks and entertainment. The flight is only 8 hours and you can often score flights for less than $200 one way. At the moment (December 2019) Cebu Pacific have a sale on with one way from Melbourne to Manila starting from $159 and one way from Sydney to Manila starting from $189. Cebu later people!
